Redondo Beach, California

Redondo Beach is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,261. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area and is one of the three Beach Cities.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles County, California - 2000 - South Bay - Greater Los Angeles area - Beach Cities

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The city's primary attraction is its Municipal Pier, which is claimed to be one of the longest piers in North America. It is nicknamed the "Endless Pier" and is moderately popular with both tourists and fishermen. However, the pier's length is possible only because of its unusual shape (it does not go straight out to sea, but goes out diagonally and then returns back to shore). The Redondo Beach Pier started as a reinforced concrete structure in 1914, then was replaced in 1928 with a timber pier. In 1988, the pier was severely battered by storms and later that year burned to the waterline (the fire was so large that a SigAlert was announced for the San Diego Freeway several miles away). The pier's modern reinforced concrete version was completed in 1996.

Related Topics:
Pier - Tourist - 1914 - 1928 - 1988 - SigAlert - San Diego Freeway

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According to the local newspaper, the Daily Breeze, the pier area used to be heavily crowded with tourists and locals during the 1970s. It began to decline after the nearby Seaport Village project failed and went into bankruptcy in 1982, and went into free fall when the pier burned down in 1988. Subsequent attempts to resuscitate the area's former popularity have been hindered by the need to comply with California Coastal Conservancy regulations, and the concurrent success of redevelopment projects in the two other Beach Cities, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, and also in the nearby city of Torrance.

Related Topics:
Daily Breeze - 1970s - 1982 - 1988 - California Coastal Conservancy - Manhattan Beach - Hermosa Beach - Torrance

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The city's territory has an unusual shape because it controls a long block of land dividing the two other beach cities (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach) from the inland city of Torrance. This is why Redondo Beach is the western terminus of the Metro Rail Green Line even though at first glance it appears on a map to be far from Interstate 105 (the Green Line's main route).

Related Topics:
Metro Rail Green Line - Interstate 105

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